Union minister meets Kishtwar accident victims undergoing treatment at Jammu hospital

Union Minister Jitendra Singh visited the Government Medical College (GMC) Hospital here on Sunday to enquire about the health of the 15 victims of last weeks' deadly accident in Kishtwar district, including three-year-old Adeeba, who lost her entire family.

Thirty-five people were killed while 15 more were injured when an overloaded bus skidded off a hilly road and plunged into a deep gorge in the Keshwan area of the district on July 1. The dead included Adeeba's parents and two brothers.

Singh, Minister of State in the Prime Minister's office, is an MP from the Udhampur constituency, which is spread over Udhampur, Kathua, Kishtwar, Doda and Ramban districts. He visited the injured undergoing treatment at the hospital and was briefed about their condition by senior doctors.

"The medical staff has done a great job in saving the lives of the accident victims. Barring two, rest of the patients, including the minor girl, are recuperating fast and are out of danger," Singh told reporters after meeting the injured.

The minor girl might be discharged in a couple of days, he said, and assured all possible help to secure her future.

Moved by the poignant and tragic circumstances that had befallen on Adeeba, Governor Satya Pal Malik on July 4 announced special assistance for her.

The governor has announced Rs two lakh as a solatium from the Regional Red Cross in favour of the girl child in the form of a fixed deposit, a Raj Bhavan spokesman had said.

Besides this, the governor has also announced a monthly assistance of Rs 1,200, which is to be credited in the bank account of the child for the next 15 years. This assistance will be over and above the normal ex-gratia compensation of Rs 5 lakh each to the kin of the deceased, as announced by the government.

The additional deputy commissioner of Kishtwar would be the local guardian of the girl till she attains adulthood and Adeeba would also be rendered social and financial assistance through the Integrated Child Protection Scheme.

The district administration, in consultation with the civil society, would ensure that a permanent care giver be identified for her upbringing in a healthy, conducive and amenable environment, the spokesman said.

The district administration has been directed by the governor to take all measures required to ensure a secured and healthy childhood of Adeeba.